Info/Tidbits

pick up free copy of pamphlet “Sydney Child” – available by front door of most chemists, toy stores, etc

the explorer tour on public transit (train/bus/ferry) – stops at all the good stops and is pretty regular (also includes longer ride on ferry)

Public transit info for NSW. You can get a monthly pass (better deal) – train only or all modes of transit. Trains are good for weekdays but seem to close often on weekends for construction. Ferries are good too, but a bit slow (esp. Manley Ferry and the Rivercat). Buses are “ok.”

Re: traffic in the city – “As to “peak hour” [rush hour] – it is pretty congested. Sydney is a grown-up city of four million, but thankfully not quite as dedicated to the car-based commute as American cities of similar size. However, there also isn’t the same freeway system that any decent-sized US city generally has. So peak hour is quite peaky – Bondi to Shelley Street at 7:30AM would be say 30-40 minutes (but that is a WAG). …And a further note – trains, buses and ferries are called (public) transport – not transportation – which has quite a different meaning in the Austrayan context. …I actually think that good access to public transport (train bus ferry) is the primary criteria for your choice of location – in terms of a good lifestyle for everyone. Even if the firm provides a car space in the building, driving can be pretty ordinary, but I am biased against cars more than most. …Also, if you lived in Paddington, Woollahra, Edgecliff, Bondi Junction, Dover Heights, Waverley – somewhere like that – it is more like the suburbs of San Francisco, and for a lot of your needs, a car is superfluous (or at least not necessary every day).”

“I grew up on the northern beaches and there is no better place to live and raise kids. However, traffic is a nightmare and it will take you 70-90 minutes to get to the city due to the massive bottleneck that is the Harbour bridge. I would strongly urge anyone working in the city to live on that side of the Bridge, either towards the eastern suburbs, or the inner west. Another option is Lane Cove, Chatswood, Gladesville etc – not really close to the beaches but nice areas close enough to the city.”… “Whatever you do, try and get a home on a train line, or a ferry!”